Montreal vs Ottawa

Montreal and Ottawa are level on the CIRA Index at 75. Montreal grades better on 3 measures, Ottawa on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Montreal 75, Ottawa 75
• OECD: Montreal 70, Ottawa 73
• UN Tourism: Montreal 76, Ottawa 74
• UNDRR: Montreal 67, Ottawa 68

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Montreal 55, Ottawa 55
• Economy and jobs: Montreal 92, Ottawa 92
• Climate and hazards: Montreal 65, Ottawa 70
• Water and environment: Montreal 81, Ottawa 69
• Community and housing: Montreal 58, Ottawa 92
• Access and continuity: Montreal 79, Ottawa 79

Where Montreal is stronger

• Tropical nights: 9.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Vérificateur Général de la Ville de Montréal, 'Management of Wastewater Discharge and Overflow Monitoring', 2023). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Tourisme Montréal, 'Getting to Montréal', 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Where Ottawa is stronger

• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 249 kg per resident per year (region figure) (Statistics Canada, Waste Management Survey, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 3.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Fall 2025 Rental Market Report, 2024 to 2025). Between 3 and 6: grade 3/4.
• Short-let density: 0.5 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA / Statistics Canada (2021 Census), 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
• Resident support for tourism: 87 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (Ottawa Tourism, 'Media release: Ottawa Tourism and Outaouais Tourism Highlight End-of-Summer Results', Jun–Aug 2026). At or above 70: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (City of Ottawa, Municipal Accommodation Tax (By-law No. 2022-56), 2026). Grade 3/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Canada: #14 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Canada: #14 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Montreal in full · Ottawa in full

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